Rated 4 out of 5 by Syed Fahad Anwar We like the performance, drill-down reporting functionality, and the report wizard. Valuable Features:* Performance* Drill-down reporting functionality* Report wizardImprovements to My Organization:We develop many management reports using Crystal Reports. It has reduced the development cost, effort, and provides feature rich reports.Support of crystal report is also very good, in terms compatibility, many vendors preferred crystal reports as preferred report delivery product.Room for Improvement:* It needs better support for child reports.* It needs additional formulas.* some performance issues when joining tables using report wizard.Use of Solution:I've been using SAP Crystal Reports for Visual Studio 2010 for four years.Deployment Issues:We had no issues with the deployment. deployment is smooth and it depends upon how you are going to deploy, as dll or rpt file.Stability Issues:There have been no stability issues.Scalability Issues:We have had no issues scaling it for our needs.Customer Service:Customer service is good, and responses come within an acceptable time.Technical Support:Technical support is good, and responses come within an acceptable time.Previous Solutions:We previously used SQL Server reporting services. These are also good but complex in some scenarios, like child reports.Initial Setup:The initial setup was very straightforward.Implementation Team:We implemented it with our in-house team.ROI:ROI is great as we are using the VS 2010 version which is free with Visual Studio.Other Advice:Study your requirements carefully, map them into this product, and if you think it fulfills the requirements, you should go for it.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions. October 6, 2016

Rated 4 out of 5 by AVP157 We can extend it to complicated reports with interactive charts and enhance the understanding of business models. Valuable Features:* Rapid report development, since the design interface makes coding easier.* We can extend it to complicated reports with interactive charts and enhance the understanding of business models.* Exposes a report object model that can interact with other controls on the ASP.NET Web form.* It can be programmed to export the reports into widely used formats such as PDF, Word, Excel, HTML, and RTF.Improvements to My Organization:We are using it for pixel perfect reporting, and that is why it is better than other reporting tools.Room for Improvement:It needs better integration with Hadoop as well as enhancements for more analytical usage.Also, a secured end user cannot modify data if the report is generated via Crystal Reports. It can only be done if the data is in HTML format.Deployment Issues:We have had no issues with the deployment.Stability Issues:We have had no issues with its stability.Scalability Issues:There have been no issues scaling it for our needs.Other Advice:Analyze it first as to whether it is a good fit for your needs. There are other good products available for analytical needs, which Crystal Reports doesn't yet provide.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions. May 5, 2016

Rated 3 out of 5 by GB432 It's easy to use and it provides good connectivity to various databases. The visualization needs work as the look is not very appealing. Valuable Features:What I like about it is that it's easy to use and it provides good connectivity to various databases.Improvements to My Organization:We use it for all of our operational and tabular reports.Room for Improvement:The visualization needs work as the look is not very appealing. The UI definitely needs some updating.Also, SAP charges an annual maintenance fee. Be careful, too, with the license model. I'd suggest that because Crystal Reports is for tabular reports, use another product for true BI.Use of Solution:I've used it for 10 years.Deployment Issues:There have been no issues with the deployment.Stability Issues:Some reports take a while to be generated.Scalability Issues:We've had no issues scaling it.Technical Support:In my experience, the level of technical support is not good. They are, however, able to resolve issues in a timely fashion.Initial Setup:The initial setup was easy and straightforward.Implementation Team:Some reports come out-of-the-box within our applications and we built some others. So you could say that implementation was a combination of SAP's product as well as our in-house team's efforts.Cost and Licensing Advice:Be careful with the annual maintenance fee, and get CPU based report access. Be careful with the license model. This product is for tabular reports, but for true BI reporting, use another product.Other Solutions Considered:We are retiring Crystal Reports soon, and it will be replaced by IBI WebFOCUS and SQL Server Reporting Services.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions. May 5, 2016

Rated 4 out of 5 by Syed Fahad Anwar We like the performance, drill-down reporting functionality, and the report wizard. Valuable Features:* Performance* Drill-down reporting functionality* Report wizardImprovements to My Organization:We develop many management reports using Crystal Reports. It has reduced the development cost, effort, and provides feature rich reports.Room for Improvement:* It needs better support for child reports.* It needs additional formulas.Use of Solution:I've been using SAP Crystal Reports for Visual Studio 2010 for four years.Deployment Issues:We had no issues with the deployment.Stability Issues:There have been no stability issues.Scalability Issues:We have had no issues scaling it for our needs.Customer Service:Customer service is good, and responses come within an acceptable time.Technical Support:Technical support is good, and responses come within an acceptable time.Previous Solutions:We previously used SQL Server reporting services. These are also good but complex in some scenarios, like child reports.Initial Setup:The initial setup was very straightforward.Implementation Team:We implemented it with our in-house team.ROI:ROI is great as we are using the VS 2010 version which is free with Visual Studio.Other Advice:Study your requirements carefully, map them into this product, and if you think it fulfills the requirements, you should go for it.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions. May 5, 2016

Rated 4 out of 5 by DataAnalyst493 We're able to select and format multiple data fields and labels, which is valuable because there are times when a group of fields needs a smaller font or to be moved together across the page. Valuable Features:One of the most valuable features is the ability to precisely place data fields and labels on the report canvas either in Design Mode or Preview Mode. This is a great feature because when a report page requires many data fields, each item needs to be as close as possible.Another valuable feature is the ability to select and format or align multiple data fields and labels because there are times when a group of fields needs a smaller font or to be moved together across the page.Room for Improvement:There are two items that would improve the product. One is a simple text search across all formulas, and the other is a debug mode that would allow the developer to step line-by-line through long or complicated formulas.Use of Solution:I've been using it for 17 years.Deployment Issues:We have had no issues with the deployment.Stability Issues:There have been no issues with the stability.Scalability Issues:There have been no issues scaling it for our needs.Technical Support:For the most part, technical support is responsive and helpful. However, the majority of technical support is in another country which can cause problems scheduling a contact time and can hamper verbal communication.Initial Setup:The initial setup is straightforward. However, on a couple of occasions the licensing was corrupted and required uninstalling and reinstalling the software.Implementation Team:Implementation was done by our in-house team.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions. May 5, 2016

Rated 4 out of 5 by Mark Richey It has a feature-rich toolset that allows me to shape and present the data to suit any report requirement. Valuable Features:I like that Crystal Reports can easily connect to a multitude of datasource types, handling all with aplomb. It has a feature-rich toolset that allows me to shape and present the data to suit any report requirement thrown my way. Enterprise is simply the best report delivery product on the market.Improvements to My Organization:I single handedly manage delivery of over 3,000 reports per month, a figure that would be unattainable without such a robust and dependable product.Room for Improvement:I would like to see improvement in charts and metadata extraction. Reporting against the actual MDB database is cumbersome at best.Use of Solution:I've been using it for over 10 years.Deployment Issues:I had minor issues with deployment, but the support was tremendous.Stability Issues:It’s an extremely stable platform. My reports run at around 99.94% on schedule yearly.Scalability Issues:We've had no issues scaling it for our needs.Technical Support:As I mentioned above, the support is very, very good, especially so when working directly with the service reps. The website is a little cluttered and difficult to navigate, but I’ve found a lot of help through sites such as ITCentralStation.com and other online communities.Previous Solutions:I started out with Crystal Reports and Enterprise. I have used a few others in a limited capacity since then, but was disappointed in all.Initial Setup:The architecture/setup was handled by someone before me, so I can’t speak firsthand to any difficulties. However, from my conversations with that individual, there were no serious hang ups or difficulties with the initial setup.Implementation Team:I believe we did use a vendor team, and once again, not having first hand knowledge, I can’t really speak to this.Other Advice:Buy it! I’ve seen the alternatives and they pale in comparison. There are third-party add-ins that have helped, but nothing else comes close out-of-the-box.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions. May 5, 2016

Rated 5 out of 5 by Larry Jokhan Users at our company have learned to write their own reports. Valuable Features:* You can write very complex formulas* Field conditional formatting* Subreports* Specific formatting for report sections (headers, footers, etc.)* Crosstab reports* Coders can write their own custom SQL statementImprovements to My Organization:Users have learned to write their own reports, reducing the load on our IT department.Room for Improvement:* Easier to use crosstab interface so beginners create reports faster* Allow for customization of crosstab row/column labels* Installation takes more than 15 minutes on our workstationsUse of Solution:I've been using it for seven years.Deployment Issues:There have been no issues with the deployment.Stability Issues:There have been no issues with the stability.Scalability Issues:We have had no issues scaling it for our needs.Technical Support:I have never contacted tech support for help.Previous Solutions:This product was recommended by our banking system vendor.Initial Setup:The setup is pretty straightforward. You can install all options to make it easier.Implementation Team:We installed it using our IT team. I would recommend scripting for a large deployment because it takes about 15 minutes per workstation to install.Cost and Licensing Advice:Saberlogic Logicity provides free Crystal Viewer software. Users who only need to run reports can use this free of charge, so you can save on license costs.Other Advice:* Document views or report models to make it easy for users to choose their data sources.* Point novice users to the crosstab report. It is fairly easy to use.* For moderate to heavy users, you should send them for training.* Users with programming or scripting skills can create really complex reports.* Saberlogic Logicity provides free Crystal Viewer software. Users who only need to run reports can use this free of charge, so you can save license costs.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions. May 2, 2016

Rated 4 out of 5 by MgrDataSvcs991 The SQL and report scheduling in version 2008 and the XLSX workbooks in version 2013 are the features I consider most valuable. Valuable Features:* Version 2008 – SQL & report scheduling* Version 2013 – XLSX workbooksImprovements to My Organization:It quickly delivers consumer-focused prototypes and delivers results and code to R&D.Room for Improvement:* It needs better graphical visualizations.* It needs a better Crystal Viewer.Use of Solution:I've been using it for about 16 yersStability Issues:Often at the end of a heavy Crystal Reports/Excel day, both Crystal Reports and Excel will crash with various memory issues. Crystal Reports sometimes has problems emailing and you get a MAPI error. You will get “corrupt” reports after running successfully for a couple of years, and then have to recreate. Sometimes, for no known detectable reason, 2008 will just “vanish” and I will have to restart it.Scalability Issues:I am the only person using it, so I haven't had to scale.Technical Support:For installing, upgrading and billing issues, support is great. But for “how do you do this” type of questions, Ken Hamady on LinkedIn is wonderful.Previous Solutions:We have a product built on the Business Objects environment and also offer Crystal Reports instructions to connect to another product via JDBC. In-house analytics is primarily Microstrategy with Tableau scattered about.I use Crystal Reports because Business Objects, MicroStrategy, and Tableau are too limiting for me. I analyze data and processes using real-time data.Initial Setup:The last install was a few years ago, and if I don’t remember much about the upgrade (to a new laptop), then the upgrade is pretty much straightforward.Other Solutions Considered:I haven't evaluated any other solution, and I have no intention of switching.Other Advice:It's the most reasonable solution available. If you are looking for a SQL-only product, then this one is not it – go look at SQL Analyzer, or Squirrel. If you want a full package of collecting, analyzing and presenting, then this is the package for you. However, you do need to have a programming angle to really understand the capabilities and power.Disclaimer: IT Central Station contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. May 1, 2016